| Abstract [eng] |
Introduction. Measurement of thyroglobulin concentration in fine needle aspirates (FNA-Tg) is a clinically significant additional diagnostic method for diagnosing thyroid carcinoma metastases in cervical lymph nodes, however, its diagnostic value varies in different clinical settings, and the cutoff values proposed in the literature vary depending on whether thyroidectomy has been performed. Aim. To evaluate the diagnostic value of FNA-Tg in diagnosing thyroid carcinoma metastases in cervical lymph nodes. Methods. A literature review was conducted using the PubMed database. Full text articles published in English during the past 10 years were included in the analysis if they investigated an adult population and evaluated the diagnostic value of this method, using the following keywords: “thyroid cancer,” “thyroglobulin,” “fine needle aspiration,” “cervical lymph node metastases,” and “measurement of thyroglobulin concentration in a fine needle aspiration sample.” A total of 26 prospective and retrospective studies were included in the review, and the data were analyzed according to the clinical setting: patients before thyroidectomy, after thyroidectomy, and mixed groups. Results. FNA-Tg was found to have high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Before thyroidectomy, sensitivity ranged from 80.77 to 100 %, and specificity from 66.7 to 100 %. After thyroidectomy, sensitivity ranged from 88.5 to 100 %, and specificity from 80 to 100 %. In mixed patient groups, sensitivity ranged from 84.5 to 97.5 %, and specificity from 75 to 100 %. The proposed cut off values also differed significantly: from 1.0 to 227.1 ng/mL in the preoperative group, from 0.7 to 28.3 ng/mL in the postoperative group, and from 0.236 to 229.1 ng/mL in mixed groups. Conclusions. FNA-Tg is a sensitive and specific adjunctive method for diagnosing thyroid carcinoma metastases in cervical lymph nodes, with the highest diagnostic value observed in patients after thyroidectomy. |
